The term “cellulite” refers to the dimpled appearance of the skin that some people have on their bodies, commonly on hips, thighs, and buttocks. Cellulite is believed to be caused by cords of connective, fibrous tissue, referred to as “septa,” which connect the skin to underlying muscle tissue. When fat cells, i.e., adipocytes, multiply and/or enlarge, they push up against the skin, which is being pulled down by the septa. This creates an uneven surface, e.g., dimpling, referred to as cellulite.
Cellulite is not a dangerous condition but many people find cellulite unsightly, and prefer their skin to have a smooth appearance. A number of different techniques have been developed to treat cellulite, each with varying results. Some techniques commonly involve treating the surface of the skin with one or more of mechanical energy (e.g., message), heat, pressure, light, radio frequencies, ultrasonic energy, chemical treatments and other sources of energy. These techniques attempt to shrink or move the fat cells that are pushing up against the skin to lessen the dimpled appearance of the skin.
Recently, some approaches have been developed for treating cellulite by cutting the septa, which allows the portion of skin previously pulled down by the septa to move with the increased volume of fat cells. This is believed to reduce the dimpling on the outer surface of the skin. These techniques however require that a surgeon apply enough force to a cutting instrument, such as a cannula or narrow scalpel, to physically cut through the fibrous tissue of the septa. In some instances, significant force must be applied by the surgeon. When the septa is suddenly cut, the applied force can thrust the cutting instrument forward or sideways into the patient (depending upon the septa was cut with the front surface of the canula or the side surface of the narrow scalpel), potentially resulting in undesirable contact of the cutting instrument with other tissues.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that embodiments of the present technology have been made. Also, although relatively specific problems have been discussed, it should be understood that embodiments of the present technology should not be limited to solving the specific problems identified in the background.